To be Selfish
by Haribon
Summary: Lest is torn away from his home- And his love. He must retreat to distract the armies, while his fiancee is sent to deliver the Gift under the cover of chaos. That was the last he had seen her in three years. The greater good needed sacrifice. Yet he had to find her, even it meant being selfish.


After the sun had retreated and the first stars of the evening came to light, Lest left to wander about the woods. Walking among the trees in the final rays of sunlight was somewhat unsettling, but he trusted his swordsmanship well enough to defend himself. He needed the time alone to let his hair down, and the monsters that dwelt nearby were quite docile.

Lest pondered to himself as he scratched a young Wooly like a pet, the little monster throwing itself against his palm. It was so pointless, spending all these centuries trying to save a dying deity, when a new one would be reborn to take its place anyway. Had the spheres not been created, they wouldn't have been pursued. Alas, for the king somehow caught wind of the Gift, and in the lust for power tried to obtain it for himself. Blood was shed, and in the distance, the sky glowed red as the fallen were reduced to ashes. The pyre was still burning long after they had left, its fiery embers decorating the western sky.

He had to draw the line somewhere, and this was it.

The beating of wings sent a breeze through the forest, and the Wooly he had been indulging grew uneasy.

"There you are, Lest!" It was Frey, and it came from above him. Looking up, he saw familiar green pigtails flowing in the wind as a Weagle made its descent. The Wooly bleated behind him and took shelter beneath his legs, but he paid it no heed. He braced himself for the inevitable lecture to come.

She was the last person he wanted to speak to.

"Here I am indeed. Dare I ask what brings you here, Frey?" He said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Oh, don't act cool with me." Her voice was admonishing, and Lest flinched inwards. He wasn't a child. "I was sent here to drag your butt back. Do me a favor, and just cooperate, will you?"

Lest sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Shouldn't you be preparing?"

"Shouldn't you be on guard duty?" Frey was quick to retort, leaping off the Weagle in a whisk of leaves to walk towards him. She clasped his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Spare me the drama, Lest. Everyone else is worried, as am I. Let's just go back, please. Being out here on our own is dangerous as it is."

"I'm not going back." Lest's voice was low. He roughly brushed off Frey's hand. "You can't expect me to agree, Frey. If they'll have their way, then I'll have mine. Whether you like it or not, I'm going with you. There's nothing you can say or do that will change my mind." He made sure every word he spoke was firm, but the look in Frey's eyes made him doubt his resolve a little. Breaking off eye contact, he brought his gaze to an opening in the canopy, revealing a portion of the dark sky. Night was upon them.

"Please don't make this hard for me, Lest." There was a pleading tone in her voice. "Do you honestly think that I want this? After what happened, I want to remain together just as much as you do, but we have obligations to fulfill. We can't afford to be selfish at a time like this." Lest was about to reply when Frey placed her hands on his abdomen, gazing up at him with a saddened expression that made his heart twist. When she applied the slightest bit of pressure, a surge of pain rushed through his body, and Lest took a step back. He bit his lips, resisting the urge to clutch his side.

"Why can't we be selfish?" It was barely a whisper, almost inaudible that Frey had to strain her ears to hear. His hands balled into fists beside him. Eyes growing cloudy, Lest dared not look up, hoping to save whatever dignity he had left. "Please, Frey," he pleaded, "At the very least, let me come with you."

To his surprise, he felt her arms circle around him, drawing him into an embrace. Her soft fragrance filled his nostrils as she buried her head into his chest, clutching tightly as though he would run away.

"Stay with everyone else and recover, Lest. Your injuries would only get in the way." Lest visibly flinched, but Frey pressed on. "I'll return. You know of my skills firsthand, don't you? Or do I need to remind you how I so easily kicked your-"

"Shut up. I was never questioning your capabilities. It's just..."

"Juuuuust?" She urged him, pecking him on the cheek.

Thank god that it was night, or she would have seen his creeping blush. "I-I have my reasons, woman."

"I love you too, Lest."

"I know."

"Does that count as a yes then?"

Lest crossed his arms and pouted. "I suppose... I see what you did there."

"Oh don't give me that look," she giggled, "I finally get you to change your mind, stubborn as you are!" Giving him on a playful poke on the forehead, Frey motioned to the Weagle that was waiting patiently behind them. "C'mon, let's head back. The elder wishes to discuss our course of action now, and he wants everyone present."

"What is there to discuss?" Lest asked, finally acknowledging the Wooly's presence as the little monster rubbed against his legs. How long was it watching? Picking the Wooly up, he followed Frey to mount the purple raptor. "Didn't they already decide to... To send you and two others to deliver the spheres to Selphia?"

Freys gaze dropped to the monster in his arms, and she shook her head in amusement. "If you're taking that thing along, you might as well take the front seat." Lest obliged, prompting the Weagle to lean downward as he settled onto the saddle. The raptor shifted beneath his weight, but made no sound of complaint. Frey seated herself behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Lest grasped the handle on the saddle, and the reins in another, caging the Wooly between his arms. The little monster bleated in anticipation and excitement.

"Anyway, yeah, they did. It should go as planned," Frey spoke up behind him, "It's about the rest of you though. There's no telling when they'll unleash the full brunt of their army against us. We have been labeled as 'rebels' who threaten the peace of Norad, and the king is out for our blood."

"Huh." Lest kicked his legs between the stirrups, prompting the Weagle to prepare for takeoff. It spread its wings, revealing its glossy purple plumage. With a mighty flap, they were aloft, ascending into the sky. Lest had to increase the tone of his voice so as to be heard against the rushing wind. "And here I thought we were doing this to save Norad's native God. Those ungrateful, selfish dastards."

"Forgive them, love. Know that most of them are merely following orders. They don't deserve your full contempt."

"Then they shall receive some of it. I have no respect for sheep in man's clothing."

Frey was about to speak up when an energy beam erupted from the clouds behind them, barely missing her head by a hair. A bolt of raw adrenaline rushed through Lest's veins, and the Weagle gave out a panicked cry as it started thrashing about. He heard Frey gasp behind him as he desperately tried to take control of the reins.

A shrill cry was heard, before what sounded like a cracking thunderbolt echoed all around them. It was at that moment realization dawned upon Lest, recognizing the cry. He drew his sword, the steel edges gleaming in the moonlight.

"Frey!" he called, "Prepare your magic, we probably ran into a flock of Thunderbirds!"

Frey had conjured a fire spell, flames erupting from the palm of her hand. "Thunderbirds, at this time of year?!"

In his peripheral vision, Lest could barely make out multiple swift figures cutting through the clouds. There was a flash of white to his left, and he jerked the reins so as to veer upwards abruptly, narrowly dodging yet another electrical beam. The Wooly seated in front of him was cowering in fear, tucking its head into his chest. Lest thanked the Gods their mount was relatively calm.

Frey hurled a fireball into the clouds, and to her surprise heard a yelp. "A person?!"

They burst from the clouds, only, they weren't alone.

One by one, Thunderbirds followed. The edges of their armor gleamed in the moonlight, and Lest soon realized this was no wild flock. "Frey, hold on tight! Things are ought to get rough here!"

"But Lest-!"

Lest dove downwards at an alarming speed, just as a flurry of lighting bolts erupted from the wretched birds. He bit in his pain as Frey clung to him for dear life, squeezing his abdomen just where he was stabbed.

He paid the pain no mind, instead drawing upon his anger to focus. He approached a lone Thunderbird, and their Weagle drew out its talons to grab the smaller bird's wings. Lest took his sword to cut its exposed throat, before it could retaliate with its lightning magic. Its lifeless body plummeted to the world below, and Lest had to take in a shaky breath to calm himself.

Gods, it was happening again.

Lest dared to look back to find an entire aerial platoon of Thunderbirds, mounted soldiers among them. Frey was hurling fireballs at their pursuers, her chest heaving from the strain of the magic. Several burnt bodies were falling to their demise, but it was hardly enough against their sheer number.

He called upon his own magic, materializing two emerald wind blades that sent his hair flying more than it already has. "Keep your head down, Frey!"

As soon as his path was clear, he flung his arm and released the blades. It sliced through several of the troops before dispersing. He felt small drops of blood falling against his face, ushered forth by the tailwind.

It tasted semi-sweet upon his lips.

"Oh God," he heard Frey mutter behind him. "W-We can't go back, Lest. They'll just follow us and kill everyone else!"

"I know! But what do you propose we do?!"

Sweat and blood were whipped away by the howling wind, and he felt his heart leap at the familiar crack of electricity.

"Such magical prowess, there's no doubt you're one of the Earthmates. Cease this folly and surrender yourselves!" One of the soldiers called out, pointing his blade directly at them. "His Highness, the King, is willing to forgive your act of treachery if you choose to stand down! Lead us to your brethren, and you shall be spared."

"Treachery my ass!" The words were spat venomously from Lest's mouth. "You'll just take the Gift for yourselves! Call us rebels or what you will, but we've done no wrong! Leave us be-"

"Silence!" Sparks of electricity crackled through his mount's plumage. "You already killed some of my men. Submit, or we'll take you by force!"

Shit. Lest knew the odds were against them.

As though cursing the very the heavens, Lest made his answer clear in a stream of fire he hurled into the sky. It dispersed quickly, but not before singing flesh and feathers.

"Listen, Frey," he started with a shaky breath, "Create a light barrier, then, prepare to fall off."

"What?!" The female Earthmate's eyes widened in surprise, but was snapped out of it by the roar of thunder. Channeling her magic, she ushered several orbs of light into existence, circling them in a protective barrier. Each bolt of lighting it absorbed left a burning sensation in her head.

"Hang on!" Lest kicked the stirrups, and the Weagle charged full speed toward the enemy line. The barrier made quick work of any who came close, burning flesh upon contact. All the while, Lest kept his eyes on a lake down below, light from the electricity reflecting off its waters.

"Strike with lightning, and break the caster's will! Get them!"

Lest guided the Weagle downward, dodging as many electrical attacks as he could. Frey was visibly flinching at the strain, and he knew her rune reserve would only last so long. Crack after crack, lighting pierced the night sky, the sound of his heartbeat ringing just as loudly in his ears.

When the individual waves of the lake were clear, he took hold of Frey's hand, bringing the Wooly into her arms. Both of them stared back at him with beseeching, questioning eyes. Only inaudible whispers escaped Frey's lips however, as her barrier continued to withstand a barrage of electricity.

"Fall off as though you lost consciousness, then go and warn the others." Lest hugged her briefly once more, relishing her scent, before removing her hands from his waist.

"B-But what about you?" She gripped his hands tighter. Lest brought a hand to caress her face, answering her with a brief smile.

She would be fine.

Lest had the Weagle fly on its side, before promptly pushing Frey and the Wooly into the lake below, timing it with the lightning. Her emerald locks were the last thing he saw. The light dispersed.

"The caster has fallen!" A soldier called out. Each word was dripping with premature jubilation.

Lest, however, was quick to answer; turning back, to the surprise of the soldiers. He felt electricity tickle his fingers as he plunged his sword into flesh. Painstakingly twisting his blade, he watched his foe's face contort in pain. Noradian blood gushed out into the wind, staining his clothes in brilliant crimson.

His fist connected with the soldier's jaw, before cleaving off the Thunderbird's head.

"Drown in your inequities."

The pain that shot up the Earthmate's side went nearly unnoticed as he cut down foe after foe. It was as though a fire burned within him, that could only be slaked by death. Any who were unfortunate to be nearby fell to his sword, raining blood upon the lake below.

It was not long, however, until he was overwhelmed.

A lightning bolt struck true upon its target. His Weagle thrashed in pain as it endured the surge of energy, Lest himself feeling traces of the shock. The Weagle went limp, and he succumbed to gravity. There was a momentary blur of darkness as he plummeted towards the cold waters.

Then there was a searing pain.

"Arrrgh!"

A Thunderbird had pierced its talons through his shoulder, keeping him aloft. Lest grunted, gripping on the bird's scaly feet to pull himself upwards.

"Now, Earthmate." Lest growled at the voice, pulling his mouth into a snarl. They couldn't just let him die, could they? He cast his eyes upward, and was met the point of a sword.

"Lead us to the Gift."

* * *

 _At last! It's published! :D_

 _First and foremost, a word of thanks to my wonderful betareader, JustUpTownFuckMeUp! I always wanted to start writing, and it was thanks to her patience that I finally wrote something I'm actually proud of! Thank you so much!_

 _I apologize to the people who followed Endurance, I never did update did I? I spent months working with Uptown fixing up the plot and character development, so I hope you can forgive me once you read this! My updates will be slow nonetheless, I'm very busy with school, but rest assured I won't abandon this story. :D_

 _So this is my take on Rune Factory: 4. I was always curious of the protagonist's past, and where the other gender was. A scene at the end of the Rune Prana arc intrigued me, and thus this story was born. :P In this case, Frey will be the protagonist of the canon story arc. We'll be following Lest though! :) This is my first published story online, and the first one I thoroughly plotted. I hope you're just as excited as I am!_

 _I own nothing! The characters all belong to Neverland Co. All I own here is the plot and writing. :)_


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